OPEN BOOK AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ON LINE

Link TV has put the entire episode of Open Book's pilot online. please click here to watch.


Here are some nice things people are saying about the show... Hope you get a chance to see it. and if you are wondering, yes, i did write all of these myself ;)

"In addition to being gorgeously filmed, this has got to be the hippest TV show on literature out there. Love it and can't wait to see more!"
"Amazing direction---the way the stories are told, layered with the music, the light, the colors, the setting is just gorgeously rich. Gives the concept the depth it deserves."
"It’s great to see new programs that transcend today’s unfortunate standard of mediocrity."
"wonderful show I am already addicted"
"may well be the first TV show to focus on Story, storytelling, and books–and not be “for readers only” or dull."

From Washington Post
"Eschewing the usual talking heads approach (Zzzzzz), Open Book packages author interviews in beautifully filmed segments, directed by Diane Paragas, that show writers reading from their work against mood music and artsy clips. Jeffrey Wright delivers a passage from Walt Whitman's "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry," and in a particularly lovely segment, a Whitman impersonator talks about his decades of devotion to the the author of "Song of Myself.""

Chicago Literary Examiner,
"The scope and precision of Open Book is awesome; this is not just about a book or a place, but about the humanity we all share. It's a work of art in itself, and a testament to the enduring power of the written word."

Paste Magazine,
"might make any bookworm switch off the flashlights, emerge from beneath the covers, and turn on the TV.

Please let us know what you think.

New Show Premieres on Link TV

The show I directed called Open Book premieres tonight and Wednesday. Please check your local listings for showtimes.

Please take a look at the press release here.

Kristen Stewart PSa about DATE RAPE on College Campuses

This PSA was a part of a campaign for Security on Campus. It includes a 25 minute documentary entitled "Speak Out and Stand Up: Raising Awareness about Sexual Assault" which will be available later in the year to colleges and high schools across the country. The film features real life interviews with survivors of sexual assault as well as a scripted narrative about a girl who is the victim of acquaintance rape during her freshman year in college.

I worked closely with long time friend and colleague Amy Lawday who produced, co-wrote and edited the film. Together with writer/editor/asst Director Liron Reiter, the three of us made this film together. We were thrilled when Kristen Stewart of "Twilight" mega fame agreed to be the host of the PSA and the film. Security on Campus will have a red carpet premiere in Philadelphia on April 30th.

Canon 5D Mk II and future of HD Cinema

Like many indie filmmakers, I've been trying to achieve a film look by using the newest dv and hd cameras without cracking the bank. Combine that with having a production company and a love of cinematography, you can imagine that I was quite excited when I like many of you heard news of the Canon 5D Mark II, one of the first DSLR cameras to be able to record HD video. I had previously owned the Canon 10D from years ago and always wondered why the pictures had such great depth of field and beautiful bokeh on digital stills while the video cameras I was using to make my documentaries were so much worse. If only I could get a moving image of all these great photos i was taking. In fact in my films in those days I would use digital stills in a stop action technique in my films to achieve that look.

I've used pretty much every camera out there from the p2 cards/ HVX200, Sony's EX3, Red Camera as well as the varicam, the cinealta. Now all of these cameras are  okay but either they are expensive and heavy, or they just don't have the picture quality or the optics to satisfy my needs. One rig came close: using a very crude DOF adapter like the LETUS and putting it on a HVX or an EX1.  I used this technique for a spot I did for Obama.  But adding a contraption in front of a prosumer camera then putting a Nikon or Canon lens in front of that seems a bit cumbersome.

But then late 2008, Canon announced they were making a full frame camera with HD capabilities and sound input, the cost for the body was half of the cheapest HVX and the card format is the regular CF format:  at most $100/16gb as opposed to $1000/16gb for P2 or sXs. And you get the depth of field without all of that extra equipment.

So I took the plunge and bought it.  I should say that I bought and returned the Nikon D90 which was a great little camera with the right lenses but no audio input was a huge down.  It did have one advantage and that was shooting at 24p.

Immediately, I started using it on a professional project which looks great. Will give a more detailed review later once we have finished editing.  But here are my initial thoughts

So far the camera wins out on low-light shooting.  Audio is really difficult.  I have a Beachtek adapter but you can not monitor sound while recording only after as playback.  Not ideal.  also with FCP on any laptop, the H264 format cannot be played natively. i don't seem to have a problem on my mac pro but it's not ideal.  also it shoots at 30fps not 24p and not 29.97 which is broadcast standard.

So my overall impression is, this camera is great for shooting short, scripted mostly MOS footage on a budget.  It's not ideal as a primary camera but a great second camera.  Also I made the decision to invest in the lenses, and then wait for the Red Scarlet in the Fall...

Whatever the outcome, for the first of its generation I am very impressed.